DESCRIPTION

The Great Magician” falls under the genre of the Chinese New Year comedy , which originated in Hong Kong in the 1970s and has evolved a mainland variety in the late 1990s as market demand shifted. Tropes of the genre include an all-star cast, madcap antics, festive flourishes and a happy ending. The dialogue and gags usually play on current events, the actors — and in this case the film industry itself, providing conversation starters for New Year's gatherings.

Without a doubt, viewers familiar with Chinese and Hong Kong cinema will be delighted by Tony Leung Chiu-wai as Zhang, Zhou Xun as Yin and Lau Ching-wan as Lei. Overall, the two leading men enjoy larger canvases in their characters than Zhou does in the beautiful but icy Yin. Moreover, the solid supporting cast includes Daniel Wu , Alex Fong Chung Sun, Paul Chun , Yan-ni Wu-gang and more cameos. The Prestige is a British-American mystery/thriller film written, directed and co-produced by Christopher Nolan, with a screenplay adapted from Christopher Priest's 1995 novel of the same name. The story follows Robert Angier and Alfred Borden, rival stage magicians in London at the end of the 19th century. Obsessed with creating the best stage illusion, they engage in competitive one-upmanship with tragic results.

The film features Hugh Jackman as Robert Angier, Christian Bale as Alfred Borden, and David Bowie as Nikola Tesla. It also stars Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, Piper Perabo, Rebecca Hall, and Andy Serkis.

Priest's epistolary novel was adapted to the screen by Nolan and his brother, Jonathan Nolan, using nonlinear narrative structure. The film was released on October 20, 2006, receiving positive reviews and strong box office results, and obtained Academy Award nominations for Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction.